A Dolphin
2019-10-14李明娟
李明娟
In the tight confines1 of a cement enclosure2， a dolphin swam a repeated pattern of circles. It was twilight and she was alone in the tank.
在水泥围成的狭小空间里，一只海豚游来游去，一圈一圈地重复着。天黑了，只有它一个人在水箱里。
Earlier that day， she had performed her tricks for the people that flocked to see her， and though this provided her with some very little pleasing form of diversion3， it did not prevent the forced isolation she experienced daily， away from her pod4 and her family.
那天早些时候，它为那些蜂拥而至来看它的人做了表演;虽然这给了它一些稍微令人愉快的消遣，但这并没有阻止它每天被迫与自己的族群和家人隔离。
Later that afternoon， her attendants had arrived and conducted their usual set of tests on her. She had yielded5 meekly6 enough to their care. This pleased them， as it always did. But， if she did not submit7 to them in a humble manner， they would consider there was a problem; and as a result， they would ask for more undesirable tests to be done.
那天下午晚些时候，它的工作人员来了，对它进行了一系列常规的检查。它表现得足够温顺，听任他们的照料，这使他们和往常一样高兴。但是，如果它不这么谦卑地向他们屈服，他们就认为有问题存在;结果就是，他们会要求做更多它不想做的测试。
She submerged8 and gazed through the heavy-plated window in the cement wall of her aquarium9. The lights glowed in the now-dark observatory room.
她潜入水中，透过水族馆水泥墙上的厚玻璃窗凝视着。灯光在现在黑暗的瞭望台房间里闪烁着。
During the day， visitors crowded together in this lower level viewing room. They all wanted to catch a glimpse of her from an underwater perspective. And the glass was full with the hand prints of many children who had pressed close to get a good view.
白天，游客们聚集在这个低层的观察室里，他们都想从水下的角度瞥一眼她。玻璃上还沾满了许多孩子的手印，他们緊紧地贴在玻璃上，想看得更清楚些。
The routine of her days rarely changed. Sometimes the trainers would come in to teach her new tricks， to be added to her show. Other times， on rare occasion， humans would bring their unwell and disabled children to swim in the water with her. And she would heal them， over time. But she would do so only by slowing the process down—so as not to show too astounding an ability to the humans. A family might have to make several return trips， for the dolphin to fully heal10 their child.
它的日常生活很少改变。有时驯兽师会来教它一些新的技巧，增加到它的表演中。其他时间里，偶尔有人会带着生病和残疾的孩子来和它一起在水里游泳。随着时间的推移，它会治愈他们。但要做到这一点，它只能减慢进程，以免对人类显示出太过惊人的能力。一个家庭可能要做几个疗程，海豚才能完全治愈他们的孩子。
She swam up to the surface， then gazed calmly at the stars in the sky above her.
它游上水面，然后冷静地凝视着上方天空中的星星。
She was far from her pod， and she was lonely.
它离族群很远，而且很孤独。
She swam a few more laps， then stopped.
它又游了几圈，然后停了下来。
In the dark of her enclosure， she sang…
在黑暗的围墙里，它歌唱着……
But none of her kind heard her.
但它的同类没人听见。
Notes
1. confine [ ] n. 界限，边界;约束;限制
2. enclosure [] n. 附件;围墙;围场
3. diversion [] n. 消遣;分散注意力
4. pod [] n. 小群动物
5. yield [] vt. 屈服;放弃;vi. 屈服，投降
6. meekly [] adv. 温顺地;逆来顺受地;忠厚地
7. submit [] vt. 使服从;vi. 屈从;服从
8. submerge [] vi. 淹没;潜入水中
9. aquarium [] n. 水族馆;养鱼池;玻璃缸
10. heal [] v. 治愈，痊愈
